Fish Soup – Ukha

Initially in Russia all soups were called ukha – pea ukha, chicken ukha. Only in the 18th century this dish became the way we know it now – nourishing fish soup.

Traditional Russian ukha is a hearty, rich fish broth with chopped vegetables, fish, herbs and a lot of spices. Usually the fattier the fish, the more spices are added to ukha such as parsley (leaves and roots), fennel, bay leaf, black pepper. However, it is better to garnish the plates with fresh herbs right before serving.

Ukha can be served hot and cold. Nowadays there are many variations of classical recipe of this soup. Ukha can be enriched with rice or millet, a slice of lemon, tomatoes or even an egg white.

Fishermen follow their own rituals when cooking ukha. For instance, they use only water from the river, and believe it is necessary to extinguish a firebrand in the pot – this should give special aroma to the dish. In the very end fishermen add a shot of vodka to ukha, which in fact does not affect the taste of the soup in any way.

Ingredients for ukha:

Fresh fish

Potatoes

Carrots

Onions

Tomato

Parsley, dill

Bay leaf

Crushed black pepper

Allspice

Instructions:

One of the main secrets in cooking ukha is that the pot should always remain uncovered.

Cut the fish, onions, carrots and potatoes into cubes. Boil vegetables for 15 minutes until the potatoes are cooked.